Friction spring draft-gear for railway-cars.



PATENTED MAR. l5, 1904.

P. N. MOORE. /FR'IGTION SPRING DRAFT GEAR FOR RAILWAY CARS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 5, 1903.

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10.754,677.' PATRNTRD lMAR. 15, 1904. P. N. MOORE.

' PRIGTION SPRING DRAFT GRAR PoR RAILWAY CARS.

- APPLICATION FILED NOV. 5,*1903. HQ IODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WJTNESSES.- JN'I/ENTO/e.

, UNITED' STATES "PATENT OFFICE.

Patented March 15, 1904.

.PETER N. MOORE, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO JOHN I. HENNESSEY, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, AND WILLIAM H. MINER,

OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FRICTION SPRING DRAFT-'GEAR FOR RAILWAY-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters'Patent No. 754,677, dated March 15, 1904.

Application led November 5, 1908. Serial No. 179,902. (No model.)

To all whom, t may concer-n:

Be it known that I, PETER N. MOORE, a citizen of the United States, residing in Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Friction Spring Draft-Gear for VRailway-Cars, of which the following is a speciiication.

My invention relates to friction spring draft IO rigging or gear for railway-cars.

The object of my invention is to provide a friction draft-rigging of a strong, simple, and durable construction composed of few parts of simple form and capable of being cheaply manufactured and of being easily and conveniently applied to and removed from the car in which the spring and frictional devices are all directly behind the draw-bar and in the line of draft and which may be relied upon 2O to operate with certainty, uniformity, and

' efficiency in `properly cushioning both light and heavy strains, blows, or shocks, both in pulling and buiiing, in which the spring and all the frictional devices and operating parts are self-contained in a sliding friction shell or case and none of which are xedly secured or attached to the. stationary frame or stop-castings of the car and in which the customary followers may be employed for'primarily operating both the spring and the frictional devices and in which the cushion of the spring itself is directly utilized for primarily cushioning all strains or blows, light or heavy, and pulling or bufing.

My invention consists in connection with a draw-bar, draw-bar extension, longitudinallyarranged spring, a sliding friction shell orcase having an interior friction-surface, and a plurality of sliding friction-blocks inside said case or shell and confined thereby from lateral, transverse, or outwardv movement and having exterior friction-surfaces in sliding frictional engagement with the interior friction-surface of the case or shell ad provided also with interengaging wedging or inclined faces for causing the sliding frictionsurfaces of the shell or case and friction-blocks to frictionally grip or forcibly press against each other when the draw-bar moves in either direction. 5o l It further consists in combination, with the foregoing, of a seat-block interposed between the rear end ofthe spring and the rear follower to cause the initial movement of the draw-bar in either direction to be cushioned by the direct action of the spring until engagement takes place between the rear end of the sliding vfriction-shell and the rear follower.

It further consists in the novel construction of parts and devices and in the novel combi- 6o nations of parts and devices herein shown and described.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectionl of a frictionV spring draft-rigging embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section, partly in plan. Figs. 3 and L are cross-sections on lines 3 3 and 4 4, respectively, of Fig. 2; and Figs. 5 and 6 are detail perspective views of one of the sliding friction-blocks, the friction-blocks being preferably duplicates of each other.

In the drawings, A represents the drafttimbers or center Ysills of a car, and A" the front or cross sill, these parts being repredraw-bar extension, the same being represented as in the form of astrap or yoke-se- 8O cured to the draw-bar by bolts K D D are the side plates or stop-castings, the same having front and rear stops d for the followers E E to abut against, and upper and lower guides d and @Z2 for the followers to re- 85 ciprocate in or between, the upper guide d being preferably integral with the side plates or stop-castings D, and the lower guide d2 being preferably inthe form of a removable plate secured in place bybolts d3 to permit the ready 9o insertion and removal of the movable parts of the draft-rigging.

F is a longitudinally-arranged spring directly behind the draw-bar and in the line of draft, there being also, preferably, a small spring f nesting within it.

G is the sliding friction shell or case, the same being preferably square or rectangular in cross-section and having interior frictionsurfaces g on its four sides. It is provided with feet or projections g to rest and slide upon the lower guide (Z2 of the side plates or stop-castings D.

H H are coperatingsliding friction-blocks having each exterior friction-faces L in sliding frictional engagement with the interior frictional faces g of the sliding friction shell or case Gr and each being further provided with interengaging wedging or inclined operating-faces K K', the same meeting preferably on a diagonal plane or cornerwise of the blocks H H. One end of the spring F bears against the front follower E through the interposed sliding friction-blocks H H, and the other end of the spring bears against the rear follower E through an interposed seat-block M, which projects through the end of the sliding friction case or shell G and is provided with a shoulder m, engaging an interior shoulder g2 on the shell or case G. The friction-blocks H H are held from lateral, transverse, or outward movement by the surrounding friction shell or case G, and the frictional resistance and wear are exerted by and confined to the parallel friction-surfaces g and /L of the frictionshell and friction-blocks, and these interengaging friction-surfaces being inside the shell G are protected thereby from dirt, sand, and

.grit and from variation and uncertainty of action incident thereto.

In my invention the spring and frictional devices are self-contained in the shell G and Y have no rigid or fixed connection with the carframe or stop-castings, and consequently require no special adjustment to the car and always maintain themselves automatically in proper cooperative relation and are directly and easily applied to cars having the ordinary draw-bar, draw-bar extension, follower, and side-plate or stop-casting construction.

vIn operation, in pulling or bufiing the first movement of the draw-bar is cushioned by the direct action of the spring itself until engagement takes place between the rear end of the sliding friction-shell and the rear follower, when the further movement of the draw-bar causes the sliding friction-shell Gr and the sliding friction-blocks H H to move and frictionally slide the one in respect to the other, the frictional grip and pressure between the interengaging frictional surfaces g and /L increasing as the spring is more and more compressed.

The sliding friction-blocks H H have interfitting lugs'and recesses /L' ft2 on their meeting faces to keep the blocks in registry with each other.

The followers E E are plain flat followers having parallel faces, and the friction-blocks from the followers.

I claimd l. In a frictiondraft gear or rigging for railway-cars, the combination with a drawbar, draw-bar extension, longitudinally-arranged spring. plain fiat followers having parallel faces, and side plates or stop-castings, of a sliding friction shell or case having an interior friction-surface, a plurality of sliding friction-blocks inside said case or shell and confined thereby from lateral or transverse movement, and having exterior friction-faces in sliding frictional engagement with the interior friction-surface of the case or shell, and provided with interengaging or inclined operating-faces for causing the sliding friction-surfaces of the friction shell or case and of said friction-blocks to frictionally grip or forcibly press against each other, said friction-blocks being independent of apd in separate pieces from the followers, substantially as specified.

2. In a friction draft geary or rigging for railway-cars, the combination with a drawbar, draw-bar extension, longitudinally-arranged spring, followers, and side plates or stop-castings, of a sliding friction shell or case having an interior friction-surface, a plurality of sliding friction-blocks inside said case or shell and confined thereby from lateral or transverse movement, and having interior friction-faces in sliding frictional engagement with the interior friction-surface of the case or shell, and provided with interengaging or inclined operating-faces for causing the sliding friction-surfaces of the friction shell or case and of said friction-blocks to frictionally grip or forcibly press against each other, and a seat-block for the spring interposed between one end of the spring and one of the followers to permit apartial compression of the spring before the follower engages the friction shell or case, substantially as specified.

3. In a friction draft gear or rigging for railway-cars, the combination with a drawbar, draw-bar extension, longitudinally-arranged spring, followers, and side plates or stop-castings, of a sliding friction shell or case having an interior friction-surface, a plurality of sliding friction-blocks inside said case or shell and confined thereby from lateral or transverse movement, and having exterior'friction-faces insliding frictional engagement with the interior friction-surface IOO IIO

of the case or shell, and provided with inter- Il n i railway-cars, the combination with a drawbar, draw-bar extension, longitudinally-arranged spring,v followers, and side plates or stop-castings, of a sliding friction Shell or case having an interior friction-surface, a plurality of sliding friction-blocks inside said case or `shell and confined thereby from lateral or transverse movement, and having interior friction-faces in sliding frictional engagement with the interior friction-surface of the case or shell, and provided with interengaging or inclined operating-faces for causing the sliding friction-surfaces of the friction Shell or case and of said friction-blocks to frictionally grip or forcibly press against each other, and a seat-block for the vspring interposed between one end of the spring and one of the followers to' permit a partial compresfied.

PETER N. MOORE. Witnesses:

H. M. MUNDAY, EDMUND AncoorrY 

